(which stands for the Brooklyn, Bronx & Queens Band) came together accidentally on purpose when guitarist
from session musicians and vocalists.
to get some musicians together to record some tracks he'd written; after the tracks were finished, he shopped for a deal, got one, and brought the impromptu musicians (who came from Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens) together as
.
The original lineup consisted of
Ford (bass),
Mauro Malavasi (piano and synthesizers),
Paolo Gianolio (guitar),
Terry Silverlight (drums),
Kevin Nance (keyboards), and
Ike Floyd (lead singer). The deal was with Capitol Records and the band was up and running. They debuted with
The Brooklyn, Bronx & Queens Band, produced by
Petrus and
Malavasi, which spawned the hypnotic, wallflower remover "On the Beat," a number three club hit the fall of 1981. Critically acclaimed by disco freaks --
Luther Vandross sang background -- their first slab of vinyl never exploded in the States.
A second LP,
All Night Long, dropped in 1982;
Floyd was gone, replaced by
Kevin Robinson, and so was
Luther.
Tawatha Agee and
Timmy Allen (
Change) handled backup. It was a good follow-up with some good joints: the title track, "Electrofunkish," "Imagination," and a smooth rendition of
Thom Bell/
Linda Creed's "Children of the Night," from
the Stylistics'
Round 2 album.
Rick Brenna served as guest vocalist. Yet they were still far from a runaway hit, their following was strictly club, and their sound wasn't spreading west, but primarily east, to the U.K. and Italy.
After two good albums, they coughed up a third -- their worst -- in 1983.
Six Million Times lacked good songs, which
Petrus seems to have relegated to
Change and
High Fashion.
Robinson sang lead and co-produced the LP that boasted only two decent tracks: "Keep It Hot" and "Stay." Capital soured on the group, but they persevered, signed with Elektra in 1985, and released singles written and produced by
Kae Williams, Jr., of
Breakwater, "Genie" and "I'm a Dreamer" featuring Hairston on vocals.
The cuts failed to shake and bake, and their next single, "Ricochet," fell on Chrysalis Records in 1987 and eked into the U.K.'s Top 75. But that was all she wrote; shortly thereafter,
Petrus, their mentor, met a gruesome end: he was found shot to death and submerged in water in Mexico City, held down by a heavy object around his legs.
–
Andrew Hamilton, Rovi